Monterey Car Week is all about seeing and doing things you’d never expect. Whether it’s watching cars you treat like superheroes roll by, or standing on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach in outfits just as outrageous as the cars themselves, rarity is the heartbeat of the week. But that isn’t always what fuels someone who lives with cars day to day. What gets many enthusiasts inspired are the simple parts of car culture: the time, effort, and stories a car creates through experience. Those stories that only come about through hours in the garage or conversations at a local meet. And in a week where the extremes take center stage, it’s easy to crave the relaxed, at-home feel of a humble car meet.
So out in the golden hills of Carmel Valley, at Tira Naza Winery, Overcrest in collaboration with WheelPrice created Sportscar Vacationland to capture exactly that. Walking through the gates, and cars weren’t crammed in like most events at Car Week; they were scattered across the winery, giving each space to breathe. The layout invited people to slow down, take in each car, and actually talk to old friends or new faces. These weren’t the latest hypercars, but dream cars still within reach: cleanly modified E30S, classic Porsche 911s, small Alfa Romeo sports cars, even rally-spec Lancias. Walking around the barn, things continued to loosen up with the Porsche 944 rally car turned into a canvas for participants to spray-paint with Super Soakers. Step further, and a purple Lamborghini Diablo overflowed with flowers like an abstract art installation.
One of the main attractions sat tucked inside a barn: our very own WheelPrice Wheel Museum, a curated collection tracing the icons and evolution of wheels. Each piece told a story that car culture clings to, from staple designs to one-of-a-kind rarities. Starting with wheels from RWB Porsches, the infamous tuner whose absurd offsets helped shape their legend. To the left sat a set of rare SSR wheels, among Japan’s most sought-after designs. Then came the headliners: a selection of BBS icons alongside the mythic Wu-Tang Wheels, one of only two sets ever made for the Clan itself. Across the way rested one of Ken Block’s Gymkhana 6 wheels. Along with racing wheels from F1 and NASCAR, this museum celebrated not only the innovations in the wheel world, but also the ways car culture influenced the design and creation of some iconic pieces.
This museum and the event around it brought things back to what keeps car culture alive. It reminded attendees that the real fuel comes not from record-breaking auction prices or impossible rarities, but from the hours, people, and stories that don’t make headlines yet keep the passion moving forward.
